About Dayphoto

My name is Linda Brown. I live on a farm on the western slope of Colorado, in the high mountain desert. I’ve lived here all my life, hailing back four generations on my father’s side. Today I blog about our farm, the everyday activities that keep the farm going. I also write about my thoughts and dreams and goals. On Friday’s I always write about TLC Cai-Cai. Our sweet kitty who helps keep the farm safe. And Boo Berry Betty, a breeder dog learning to be a Farm Dog! The lovely thing about blogging it opens the world up for all of us to reach out and meet people from many different cultures and different ways of life. You can find me every day (but Saturday) at https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/ Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm, Linda Brown

Water a Moving Force–Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Dayphoto

We started work on the artery ditch that moves the water from the headgate onto our farm. This is our main transfer ditch—the only reason we have to work on this ditch is the headgate to our place is located a few feet onto our neighbor’s farm. The field is where Mr. Sinner keeps his bulls during the off season of farming.

Now bulls- being curious sorts, love to mess in stuff. Cows will do it also, but a field of bulls will get bored fast…nothing much to do you see. Once they find something odd, interesting, unusual, different, they will paw at it until they make a huge mess.

We are putting a top on the last part of the ditch…the ditch is cement, but it makes a curve. We don’t want to put this short ditch into a pipe, because we have to keep trash out and this ‘the taking out of the trash’ spot. It will be flush with the ground and blend in…those very wiley bulls will just pass it by on the look for something else to discover.

The headgate to our place is huge and imposing anytime of the year, but in the winter a person can get a good idea of how really big it is, and how much the water is eroding away the sides of the canal.

That is the take off from the head gate called the artery ditch take out, it’s wood, until it hits the fence line then we made it cement. See the damage the water is doing around the box of the headgate.

We should finish up the top today. One project done before spring work starts!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Work—Monday, January 20, 2015

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Dayphoto

It’s time! The range cows should be here in two weeks or less. We spent time checking the fences along the North, East and West sides of our place. They are not in too bad of shape, we fixed a little here and there, a broken off pole, a sagging wire–we still have to fix part of the fence where the Ditch Rider’s cut along the North side next to the main road.

Later on this week we will work on the South side and down by the other house. Terry wants to have two dead trees cut down along the fence line in the yard of the other house. One was hit by lightening in the summer and the other is rotten and leaning into the main road.

I DREAD this job! Those trees are HUGE and OLD and full of WORK! He has a call into a tree service now.

I know I’m being cynical but I know how all this goes….the tree people cut down the trees then leave.

The tree people would clean everything up but the cost is exorbitant, so ‘we’ say ‘we’ will clean everything up.

The last time we did a nasty big tree job like this our son wasn’t working, our son-in-law had winter break at school, and another young man was bored and came over to lend a hand. It took all of them, the tractor and loader, a wagon and myself to get everything out of the field. (We paid everyone, I fed everyone; so was a win-win!)

This time everyone is working or has moved. Sigh!

So now that I’ve throw my fit, I just have to get my head around this new set of work and move on. Fits never accomplish anything…I don’t know why I thought I needed to throw one. 😦

Then while I was dreading the tree cutting job…the earth gave me a gift. A rock in the shape of a heart. All I need to do is take one day at a time…everything always works out for the best — if you just let it.—as my Momma always said. 🙂

Your friend,

Linda

This is New to Me and it’s Stunning—-Monday, January 19, 2015

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Dayphoto

A good friend of mine sent me a link from her FaceBook page to mine with these stunning photos of Fire Rainbows.

Fire-Rainbows ‘Fire rainbows’ are a rare phenomenon that only occur when the Sun is higher than 58° above the horizon and its light passes through cirrus clouds made of ice crystals. At the right alignment, the ice crystals act as a prism, and refract the light to look like a rainbow. Photo by Livescience.

They are amazing!

Also there is a whole discussion about the type of clouds on the FaceBook site and some sort-of ugly comments of people to each other about the phenomenon. I’m just warning you, so if you read them you will understand they are not something I’m involved with…I just loved this rare and beautiful sky and wanted to share it with you. The Photo is by Livescience–as you see— and the photos are on the the Global Coherence Initiative. I have not really read or studied anything about the Global Coherence Initiative — I really just loved the photos and wanted to share them with you.

Your friend,

Linda

SURPRISE—Sunday, January 18, 2015

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Dayphoto

Friday night, late….late…late we heard the alarm on the very long lane leading from the main road to our house.

Ding! It didn’t last long so we didn’t get up to see what or who was coming down the drive-way. Over the years we have learned that hunting cats, night birds, neighbor dogs and grazing deer will set the “Company’s Coming” alarm off.

Terry stayed right in his lazy-boy watching TV, Boomer only raised his head and went right back to sleep, Monkey and Sam didn’t even stir. I thought about going to see what set off the alarm, but decided the book I was reading was more interesting.

A few minutes later Boomer rose up with a happy yip and big tail wags just as the back door opened and a little voice called: “GRANDPA! GRAMMY! Are you asleep”? Terry, myself, and Boomer all rushed into the kitchen, while the two cats scrabbled to hide under the bed.

By the time we got to the kitchen the youngest grandchild was flinging off her coat and kicking off her boots. Then Blade was inside…carrying the huge duffel bag stuffed with overnight clothes and next day clothes for he, his two sisters and his Mom.

By this time Tally had jumped into her grandpa’s arms and Linky was pushing herself through the back door; past Blade to give me a HUGE HUG!!!

Then Blade grabbed Grandpa, Tally, Linkin and myself– giving us all a giant hug!

“What is this all about?” Grandpa asked.

Mom-mom was now in the door looking exhausted and wore-out, but wearing a very pleased smile….”Happy Birthday, Mom!”

“YES! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRAMMY!” those precious voices chimed in.

What a special and very much unexpected surprise!

“Just over-night”,, Mom-mom warned…we must get back to Craig (Colorado) by six on Saturday since we have an important function to attend.

Saturday morning flew by and it was suddenly time for lunch. They wanted to take us out for a late-birthday celebration so down to Pizza Hut we drove—taking the new by-pass which ends right across from Pizza Hut.

Suddenly ….the party was over—waving good-bye we watched their van enter the traffic on main street and speed away toward Grand Junction. Knowing they had a three-hour drive from here…first to Grand Junction, then to Rifle, after that Meeker, and finally home at Craig.

Gosh, that was nice!

Your friend on a farm in Western Colorado,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Scent Detection

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Dayphoto

After helping Dad cut down a dying tree in the yard, and cleaning up all the branches and stacking the logs…..

(Mom said it was a sad thing to see it go, Dad said it was important since it might fall into the power line to the meter base on the house.)

Mom and I went for a very looooooooong walk! All the way around the place, even to the front of the place to get the mail and then home. We had a great time.

I’m a beagle, you know. Beagles have great noses, we have short-hair (so the weeds don’t get caught in the hair), and we don’t shed too much. Also, we are small. I only weigh 40 pounds at my heaviest…if I get even two pounds over that I start to get a belly and Dad says I look like a sausage. (Humph…a SAUSAGE!?!?! I Don’t THINK SO!)

(Here is a little secret…after you get older it’s harder to lose weight! Since I’m nine now I have to make sure I go out and sniff around…I used to play tricks on Fuzzy, which was great fun. I would run barking out to the grain bins like something cool was out there; Fuzzy would think he missed something so he would run out barking right behind me…then when he got there we would both go check out the hay yard, over to the equipment area -Dad has two spots- and back around the barn and the two workshops. We had a great time.)

Now it’s easy to just lay around the house soaking the heat from the woodstove into the pads of my feet and taking a snooze. If I get to snoring too much Monkey walks on me until I wake-up. That silly cat.

Anyway, Mom says the house starts to close in on her so when that happens we (Mom and I) go for a walk.

Usually a LONG walk…It’s the best part of my beagle day.

In my former life I always had to walk on a leash….not here!! No sireee, not on the farm, not ever…I get to go wherever I want. (If we go to town I have to have the leash, but not on the farm)

The best part of walks are SMELLS!!!

Humm…this is a good smell…rabbit! Oops! Hawk and rabbit…oh…I don’t think the rabbit made it. Well, I won’t say anything to Mom she’s busy looking over at the apricot tree.

We scent-detection dogs can tell lots of stuff that is going on just by the smells. Here, right here…is the home of some mice…sniff, snuff…ACHOOO!

What a bunch of stuff they have stuck in their hole…all sorts of loose bits of this and that ACHOOO! ACHOOO!!!!

Where is MOM! Wait a minute MOM…MOM! Wait a bit I’ll be right there but I need to mark a few spots here and there. The coyotes need to know they are NOT the only canines on the place!

Nice…I can tell Shannon and Jason have been down here to check on the other house…they had Rocky the Rottweiler with them…yep! Good Job, Rock…let me add some to it!

Mom says I can’t sniff around on the main road, “Hurry, Boom. We have to get over to the mailbox and back to the farm before some county truck, or logging truck or fast speeding car comes…You can gather the news down our lane once we get the mail!”

So Mom and I hurried down the main road, waved to Mr. Happy our new neighbor—the little grandchildren call him Mr. Happy because he is always friendly and waves, past the head gate– where we crossed the main road and got the mail, then we trotted over to the lane to our house.

Sniff, sniff, snuff, snuffel….

CATS!!! Let’s see…the yellow and white tom that belongs to the neighbor down the hill…that tom sure gets around. OH! New cat…hum young, tom, black and furry…oh…he lives at the house across the road close to the church. Looks like they are both mousing. Good for them…Mom always like to have the cats out looking for mice. Hunting for birds now, make Mom unhappy, but cats can catch mice all they want. Fuzzy used to catch mice also. Me…not at all; I just love hunting with my nose!

Home now…sigh! That was a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Oh…Mom says I have to wait right here while she gets a pan of warm water and a rag…she says I can’t come in until I the mud and weeds out of my paws.

That’s okay…I rather like standing in warm water. Once inside I know I can lay right in front of the fire and soak up the heat in my pads.

Ahhhhhhhh…inside, fire, turn around three times, make sure the paws are pointing toward the wood stove…settle down………..sigh……………good. Boomer

Sunshine and a Stiff Breeze—-Thursday, January 15, 2015

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Dayphoto

Yesterday was a very nice day…I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends from here and around the whole globe. I thank each one of you very much!

Another gift today — last evening, as the sun was starting to set, the clouds broke up; allowing clear skies to appear! Sunshine always gives a huge lift to the spirit!

Always!

Elaine from Black Forest, Colorado, sent me this beautiful frozen photo of the frost and fog and hoar frost not far from her home. It looks like the photo is in black and white, but in reality it was just that cold.

Then Linda, from very large ranch in Alberta, Canada, sent me this stunning sunrise.

The world is just a beautiful place!

Your friend,

Linda

Life is Full of Gifts—Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Dayphoto

Today I’m another year old. That in and of itself is a very nice gift! Not only am I another year older I am in good health! That is a HUGE gift!

Another (tongue and check gift) is I will be 66 two years in a row…HOW COOL is THAT?!

Not many people can have the same birthday twice, but I’ve managed to do so several times in my life. When I turned 37 I was 38 for two years, when I turned 51 I was 52 for two years and then last year when I turned 65, (just like those other years before) I skipped being that number and rushed myself right along to 66—so once more I get to be 66 for a year! I even up-aged my oldest daughter and then for some crazy reason I down-aged my two youngest daughters, my son got to stay his right age.

The weather is still dark and dreary and wet. BUT the gift is IT ISN’T terribly cold! When the sun does shine forth you can bet I’ll be outside dancing in it! 🙂

The fuel prices in our town have taken a decidedly nice tumble—although, I understand that falling fuel prices are NOT a good thing for people working in the gas and oil fields.

Terry gave me a really neat, sturdy outdoor jacket! I just love it! Full of pockets to carry my camera, gloves, scarves, you name it. It’s sturdy and warm! YAY!

I have many wonderful gifts…I wish to not single any one out, but this one is heart-warming and sad and special all at once.

Fuzzy and Boomer’s stories all wrapped up in two bound books, complete with photos.

Our daughter in Grand Junction, pulled the stories off the blog and had them bound in two books.

I cried when saw them. Inside are all the animals our families have had…each granddog over the years and, of course, that wonderful wise dog Fuzzy and his side-kick Boomer.

The back shows the photo our Kelly, our son-in-law took of a rainbow over our house and farm buildings. A rainbow is such a beautiful site and to have it right over our place is a true gift.

This morning I had many, many, many birthday wishes on FaceBook, emails of birthday wishes and several phone calls, and the post office has delivered many, many birthday cards!

I am so humble and over-whelmed at the amazing people who fill my life–each one of you are a special gift to all who know you—and most definitely a special gift to me!

Your (finally) 66 year old friend!

Linda

Confused Weather–Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Dayphoto

Look at this weather! Typical of summer, but not the middle of January!

And…it really isn’t all that cold—it’s 35* (I think that is 1.66 in celsius ???) right now. The ratty and tired snow is now gone and huge mud puddles in it’s place. There is no really working outside in this. (Although, I will still need to haul wood for the fireplace.)

Yesterday Terry and I did some maintenance jobs around the yard involving the chain saw, we were able to do them without moisture—snow or rain.

We still have a list of chores that needs to be done and soon…one of them is to put a new roof on the tilehouse, another is to finish hooking up the wood stove in one of the shops, and of course the fences all need to be walked and checked. The ditch company is very bad about just cutting the fence, if they want in …drives us bats. We have gates—sure they might have to walk a short distance to get to the gate (we leave them open during farming season) and then walk another short distance to get where ever it is they want to be. But no…they just cut the four strands of barbed wire – down the fences go and in they walk. Sure is disrespectful and (basically) lazy.

Anyway… (this is a summer rain photo with a Boomer nose on the side)

I will enjoy this sorta–like summer rain and do some baking. It will be nice to get caught back up on my house stuff.

Your friend,

Linda

Silence is Golden and Lonely—Monday, January 12, 2014

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

Ever since Christmas our house has been full of people! Oh, sure we’ve had a few days off here and there, but on the whole Terry and I have had the energy and brightness of our children and their families and extended families sharing our house, food and lives.

Thanks to our new daughter-in-law, Jolyne we have some family photos for the first time in a very, very, very long-time. (Over Christmas Jolyne’s sister and darling little baby visited Evan and Jolyne for two weeks, and then Jolyne’s Mom came for a week over New Year’s. Everyone drove out a couple of times to see us and we went in to town to visit with them.)

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Our daughter Kimberly and her husband, Cliff live in Grand Junction–they came up several times to be with all of us. Kimberly’s birthday was the 7th and Bladen’s the 9th so we got to celebrate Kimberly’s twice…once with she and Cliff-then again when everyone was here for Blade’s birthday.

Shannon and Jason just live down the road (two miles) and came by often. Another cool thing was Jason’s Dad came to visit the kids and we got to celebrate his birthday also.

On Saturday we had a group birthday…Kimberly the 7th, Paul, Jason’s Dad the 8th and Blade on the 9th! What a cool happening!

And the family from Craig came down…complete with Hank Puff — coming for two weeks at Christmas and this weekend for Blade’s 13th birthday…we had lots and lots of food, lots and lots of presents, best friends over to play and many walks around the farm. After everyone left yesterday Terry and I collapsed and took a nap for two hours. (I know, what can I say, we are old 🙂 )

That night and today we realized it was way too quiet here.

Your friend,

Linda

FOG — Sunday, January 11, 2015

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Dayphoto

Fog rolled in just before the snow hit! (It’s snowing here now)

Nothing is a beautiful as fog.

Of course we don’t have fog like the other parts of the world, we have fog in a very random way. Fog is Not a staple here, nor is it a common occurrence. It isn’t rare, but it is unusual.

When we do get fog it’s caused from the large variety of canals and rivers, which are in our area; the water becomes warmer than the air then we get fog!!! I adore the fog!